Christmas lunch was enjoyed by all

Wednesday

Jan 4, 2017 at 12:20 AM

BY CHARLES CROUCH

Our Christmas lunch at the Hamilton SNACK site was a happy event. We enjoyed ham, sweet potatoes and green bean casserole. This was followed by a variety of desserts such as homemade cake, blueberry pies and cherry cheesecake. In addition, we enjoyed egg nog and apple cider. To those who made the pies and cake and purchased the egg nog and cider, your contributions were much appreciated. Can't wait until Easter!

We are planning on spicing things up a bit this spring, summer and fall with picnics and grilling outside. Sue and I are enjoying sunny Florida right now. Not to rub it in, but it’s 80 degrees and sunny right now. I'm a little bit worried that the warmth might melt the ice in my poolside martini. My feet are up, sunglasses on. How's the weather up there?

Food section

We will be using sofrito and capers in our upcoming recipe.

Sofrito is an aromatic blend of herbs and spices used to flavor beans, fish, meats, rice, and stews. It is the base from which the rest of the recipe is built. Sofrito has been an ingredient and a technique since medieval times. It is found in the oldest cookbook in Spain, dated 1324. Common ingredients would include cilantro (the leaves of the coriander plant), chopped onions, green peppers, garlic, tomatoes, and many other vegetables and herbs.

Capers are pickled flowered buds of a thorny trailing scrub that grows like a weed all over the Mediterranean. Capers are dried in the sun and then packed in salt or brine. The use of capers dates to 2000 BC where they are mentioned as a food in the “Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh.” We are going to use them both as a flavoring agent and a seasoning as they contain salt. In addition they make a nice edible garnish.

Next time in the food section we will discuss arroz amarillo and saffron.

Charles Crouch, Hamilton SNACK site manager and center facilitator, can be reached at 315-824-3905.

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